Sunday, February 24, 2013

Afghan President Orders Special Op. Forces out of "Key Afghan Province"

"An Afghan soldier and resident of Maidan Wardak Province" (New York Times). 

Following a meeting of Afghanistan's National Security Council, a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced that U.S. special forces currently located in Maidan Wardak, a province west of Kabul, must exit within two weeks. The demand stems from allegations that Afghans working for the American Special Forces have tortured and killed local villagers. However, much remains unclear, inciting a multitude of questions from all sides. 

Aimal Faizi, a spokesman for President Karzai, stated, "It is better to make the Special Forces withdraw from the province and let the local people understand that they are facing only Afghan forces... That will bring clarity to the situation." However, he also questioned, "Let's imagine that the U.S. Special Forces are not involved... Then how come they have not once heard about this? How come they do not know who is doing this?"

As for the ban's effects on security abroad, The New York Times says, "Maidan Wardak... is seen as a crucial area in defending the capital against the Taliban. If enforced, [the ban] would effectively exclude the American military’s main source of offensive firepower from the area, which lies southwest of Kabul and is used by the Taliban as a staging ground for attacks on the city."

Early questions about the action's political ramifications have also begun to stir. The Washington Post notes, "The announcement… is playing out as the White House and NATO leaders ponder their troop commitments to Afghanistan after the coalition finishes its combat mission here at the end of 2014." The Daily Beast also adds, "The news casts a new negative light to the war in Afghanistan just two weeks after President Obama awarded the prestigious Medal of Honor to a Former Army Staff Sergeant for his work there." 

What is your take on the effect of this announcement on U.S. military security and politics abroad? Is the Afghan government showing less tolerance for civil abuses allegedly related to foreign troops than it has before, and if so, what are your thoughts on this development?

TL;DR? Karzai demands that American Special Ops leave "key Afghan province" due to allegations of suspicious/unclear civilian deaths; questions about future involvement in Afghanistan ensue. 

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